Happy 14th Birthday Google! (and don't forget to thank Linux)

Google turns 14 today. Yeaah, I know it really doesn't seem all that long ago when Google was the 'new kid' on the block and we all used AltaVista (or at least I did…).

Like millions of others I first noticed Google because of its use by Yahoo. The bulky Yahoo portal page of 14 years ago was a mess so I just started going to Google directly (like millions of others). Back then Sergey and Larry were also a lot more accessible than they are now. I remember emailing about a result error and getting a personal reply (and a T-shirt) back in response.

14 years later, Google remains the primary search engine most of us use each and every day. Sure Google is more than just search today, but search still remains the core – whether we're talking Gmail, Android, Maps (IOS 6 sux!) or otherwise.

While Google has built so much innovation entirely on its own, it's important to remember that in the beginning (and even now) – it was and is Linux at the core that enables all of it to happen.